May 21, 2010

May 21, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 1

www.charlottediocese.org

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Immaculate Conception Church celebrates ‘Teaching Mass’ PAGE 5

Established Jan. 12, 1972

by Pope Paul VI MAy 21, 2010

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

“I love my community. I know they are always there for me.”

—– Sister of Mercy Jill Weber

no. 26

PART 4

This is the fourth in a series about women religious in honor of Mary during May.

Mercy Sister Jill Weber (right) is pictured with a resident from Holy Angels.

The Sisters of Mercy manage the residential home for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities, located on the Sacred Heart Campus in Belmont. photo provided by

vOLUME 19

Mercy Sisters exemplify can-do spirit

Myra Joines

SueAnn Howell Staff Writer

INSIDE, PAGES 8-9

BELMONT — If you want to know how to get something done, look to the Sisters of Mercy. Since 1869 when they first arrived in North Carolina, the sisters have accomplished many feats: They established Catholic education in the Carolinas, including Sacred Heart Academy in Belmont, originally an all-girls finishing school.

They founded hospitals including Mercy Hospital in Charlotte, which is still thriving today as part

n History of the Sisters of Mercy in North Carolina n Who they are, their mission of service n How to join the community or volunteer

See MERCY, page 8

In Portugal, Pope Benedict calls for new style of evangelization MORE INSIDE n During Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Portugal, he took aim at abortion and same-sex marriage laws and urged Catholics to resist secularism.

PAGE 16

n More than 100,000 faithful turned out May 16 in St. Peter’s Square for the “Regina Coeli” in a show of support for the pope.

PAGE 2

PORTO, Portugal (CNS) ― On a four-day visit to Portugal, Pope Benedict XVI turned the Church’s attention to Fatima and offered a new perspective on the continuing relevance of Mary’s appearances there.

But the larger purpose of his May 11-14 trip was to prod Catholics to adopt a more forceful and direct way of evangelizing in a largely secularized society.

In talk after talk, the pope spoke about how to be a missionary in the modern world, challenging Portugal’s Catholic majority – and its bishops – to stop acquiescing in a kind of silent surrender as the faith is marginalized or even ridiculed.

In Porto May 14, the pope told 200,000 worshippers at Mass that their duty as Christians is to announce His Gospel in every sector of society.

“We need to overcome the temptation to limit ourselves to what we already have, or think we have, that is safely our own: that would be a slow death for the Church as a presence in the world,” he said.

Pope Benedict has sometimes been presumed to accept the idea of a smaller but more militant Church, supposedly to strengthen the Church’s identity. But he made it clear in Portugal that “pruning

Pope Benedict XVI prays in front of a statue of Our Lady of Fatima after arriving at the Marian shrine in central Portugal May 12, welcomed by more than 40,000 faithful, many of them sick or disabled. The pope prayed at the site of Mary’s apparitions at Fatima and entrusted the world’s priests to her, saying the Church needs “holy priests, transfigured by grace.” The pope then knelt in the Chapel of the Apparitions, built on the site where three shepherd children witnessed a series of apparitions beginning May 13, 1917.

See PORTUGAL, page 16

IN OUR SCHOOLS Charlotte Catholic High School freshmen pledge to help Holy Angels PAGE 12

CNS photo by Alessia Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo

CULTURE WATCH

PERSPECTIVES

As the pill marks its 50th year, its promises remain unfulfilled

It’s time for a ‘Choose Life’ N.C. license plate

PAGE 11

PAGE 14

May 21, 2010

2 The Catholic News & Herald

InBrief

Current and upcoming topics from around the world to your own backyard

A sign in Italian on the colonnade in St. Peter’s Square says, “Together with the pope,” after Pope Benedict XVI’s “Regina Coeli” prayer at the Vatican May 16. Some 120,000 people attended the “Regina Coeli” in a show of support for the pope.

WORLD NEWS IN BRIEF

Pope finishes second volume of ‘Jesus of Nazareth’

VATICAN CITY (CNS) ― Pope Benedict XVI has handed his editors the final draft of the second volume of his book, “Jesus of Nazareth,” but it will be months before the work is translated from German and published, the Vatican said May 10.

“This second volume is dedicated to the Passion and the Resurrection, and takes up where the first volume ended,” the Vatican press office said in a statement.

The first volume of the work was published in the spring of 2007 and covers Jesus’ life from His baptism to His transfiguration. In the U.S., the English translation was published by Doubleday.

The Vatican publishing house will be the principal editor, will find publishers in different countries and will coordinate the translation work, the Vatican statement said.

The Vatican said it hopes to release the book simultaneously in the world’s major languages, which means it might be “several months” before it gets to bookstores.

CNS photo by Paul Haring

Crowd of 120,000 gathers to support Pope Benedict VATICAN CITY (CNS) ― An estimated 120,000 people converged on St. Peter’s Square to express support for Pope Benedict XVI in dealing with the clerical sexual abuse scandal.

Thanking the crowd for their presence and affection May 16, Pope Benedict said, “The true enemy to fear is sin, the spiritual evil that unfortunately sometimes infects even members of the Church.”

“We Christians are not afraid of the world, even if we have to be careful of its seductions. Rather we must fear sin and, for that reason, be strongly rooted in God and solid in goodness, love and service,” he said at his weekly Sunday blessing.

With trust in the Lord and a renewed commitment to following Him, he said, the Church can become holier by going through “the trials” it is facing.

The Italian National Consultation of Lay Groups, a Catholic organization, spearheaded the effort to bring Catholics to the square to join the pope and show their support. A variety of Catholic organizations and movements, labor unions and political groups joined them, filling St. Peter’s Square and spilling onto the adjacent streets.

Paola Dal Toso, secretary of the national consultation, told Vatican Radio that participants wanted to pray for the victims of sexual abuse, but also “to recall all the good that many priests do, which does not make the news.”

In a rare exception, Vatican officials

allowed the organizers to hang banners from the colonnade surrounding the square; many proclaimed, “Together with the pope.”

Salvatore Martinez, president of the Italian Renewal in the Holy Spirit movement, told Vatican Radio that Catholics recognize that some people in the Church have seriously sinned, “but the Church is alive, the Church is still standing. The laity and the movements are expressions of it through their vitality, their beauty and through the strength of the witness they give each day.”

Pope Benedict also referred to the scandal when he wrote to participants in a large ecumenical gathering in Germany. The ecumenical Kirchentag, which ended May 16, had focused on the theme of hope.

The pope said that at a time when the world’s people are in need of hope, some people are asking if the Church really is a place to find it.

“Weeds exist even in the heart of the Church and among those whom the Lord has welcomed into His service in a special way. But the light of God has not set, the good grain has not been suffocated by the seed of evil,” the pope said.

The Church continues to be a place of hope, he said, because it is the place where people hear the Word of God, “which purifies us and shows us the path of faith.”

MAY 21, 2010 Volume 19 • Number 26 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203 E-MAIL: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org PHONE: 704-370-3333 FAX: 704-370-3382

EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT: Denise Onativia 704-370-3333, catholicnews@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Cindi Feerick 704-370-3332, ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org

MAIL: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, N.C. 28237

STAFF WRITER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org

PUBLISHER: The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org

Diocesan planner For more events taking place in the Diocese of Charlotte, visit www.charlottediocese.org/ calendarofevents-cn.

ASHEVILLE THE LADIES ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS welcome all women who are practicing Catholics, and who are Irish by birth or descent, or who are the wife of a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, or the mother of a Junior member. If you live in the Asheville area and would like more information, contact Janice Donahue at 704249-9161 or ladydonahue@gmail.com.

BELMONT QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES CHURCH, 503 N. Main St. — Stepping into Luke’s Gospel, conference room, 7:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through May 25. Open to middle school youth. For more information, contact Dennis Teall-Fleming at 704-825-9600 or teallfleming@yahoo.com.

— Outdoor Pentecost Mass and Parish Picnic, Belmont Abbey College Sacred Heart Campus, 11 a.m. May 23. Bring a folding chair or blanket.

— Heart to Heart with God: Six Ways to Empower Your Prayer Life, MAK Center conference room, 7:30 to 9 p.m. Sundays through June 13. Learn more about the Scriptures and the new and meaningful ways to strengthen your own prayer experiences.

For more information, contact Dennis TeallFleming at 704-825-9600 or teallfleming@ yahoo.com.

The Catholic News & Herald is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 44 times a year, weekly except Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 per year for parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all others. For all circulation inquiries and orders, contact Denise Onativia at 704-370-3333.

POSTMASTER: Periodicals class postage (USPC 007393) paid at Charlotte, N.C. Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, N.C. 28237.

NEWS: The Catholic News & Herald welcomes your news and photographs for publication in our print and online PDF

— Whole Community Catechesis, MAK Center, 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. June 6 and 13. Faith formation for all ages. For more information, contact Dennis Teall-Fleming at 704-825-9600 or teallfleming@yahoo.com.

CHARLOTTE DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE PASTORAL CENTER, 1123 S. Church St. — Reflections on Charity, Justice and Mercy in Celebration of 100 Years of Catholic Charities, presented by Jesuit Father Joseph Koterski, Ph.D., 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 2. To register, contact Sherill Beason at 704-370-3228 or sabeason@charlottediocese.org.

ST. ANN CHURCH, 3635 Park Road — Pro-life Mass, 9 a.m. May 29. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament immediately following Mass. For more information, contact Danielle Mathis at tmathis3@carolina.rr.com.

ST. LUKE CHURCH, 13700 Lawyers Road — Pentecost International Celebration, Family Life Center, following each Mass May 23.

Celebrate cultural backgrounds and traditions with ethnic food, music and dance.

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy.

— Opus Dei Recollection for Women, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 22. Reconciliation available at 9:30 a.m. For more information, contact Remy Ignacio at 704-752-7155 or remy_ignacio@ hotmail.com.

— Christian Coffee House, Parish Center, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. May 23 — Baccalaureate Mass and Reception for High School and College Graduates in the parish, 5:30 p.m. May 23. For more information, contact Erin Dunne at 704-543-7677, ext. 103, or erind@stmatthewcatholic.org.

— St. Peregrine Healing Service, Sanctuary, 7:30 p.m. May 27

editions. Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org. Deadline is 10 days before requested publication date. We do not publish poetry, form letters or petitions. All submitted items become the property of The Catholic News & Herald and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives. For inquiries, contact Editor Patricia Guilfoyle at 704-370-3334 or plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org.

ADVERTISING: For advertising rates and information, contact Advertising Manager Cindi Feerick at 704-370-3332 or ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org. The Catholic News & Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason, and does not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

May 21, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 3

THE ABUSE CRISIS

N.Y.’s archbishop: Priests must relish their ministry

HERSHEY, Pa. (CNS) ― Priests must not only enjoy their ministry, but they must relish being a priest, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York told Philadelphia archdiocesan priests gathered at a Hershey conference center May 10-13.

“Configure yourself to Jesus Christ,” he said. “That is your identity.

Savor that. Everything you do will flow with that much more effectiveness.” He drew a parallel between the busyness

of priesthood and the experience of married couples. “We’re so involved with doing, we forget to bask in being priests,” he said, adding that the result can be a tired and frustrated priest.

Husbands and wives also can become tired or bored if they, too, fail to bask in their identity and understand they are more than what they do, he said.

Archbishop Dolan delivered four keynote talks during the first two days of the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s convocation of priests. The event, a first for the archdiocese, was organized by the Office for Clergy as part of the Catholic Church’s Year for Priests observance, which ends next month.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH, 1400 Suther Road

PENNYBYRN AT MARYFIELD, 1315 Greensboro Road

— The Rosary According to Pope John Paul II, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday in May. Babysitting available. For more information, call Deacon Brian at 704-568-1234.

— The Feast of Corpus Christi, commemorating the 16th anniversary of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration at Maryfield, Maryfield Chapel, 2 p.m. June 6. Abbot Placid D. Solari, OSB, of Belmont Abbey will be the principal celebrant.

Refreshments served after Mass.

GREENSBORO OUR LADY OF GRACE CHURCH, 2205 West Market St. — Parish Picnic, Bur-Mil Park Shelters 1 and 2, 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 6. Bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket and potato salad, pasta salad or baked beans to serve 12. RSVP number of people and what side item you will bring on sign-up sheets at church entrance and parish office or to Patty Disney at parishlife@ olgchurch.org.

ST. MARY CHURCH, 812 Duke St. — Pentecost Revival, Parish Center, Father Evaristus Igwe of New York will speak about the theme: “The Holy Spirit fell on them as on us at the beginning,” 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

May 22. Lunch will be provided. For more information, contact Sister Caroline Walson at 336-373-9854 or 336-965-8801 or Sister Agnes Onyeagu at 336-856-8976.

— Honoring Graduates, 11 a.m. Mass May 23.

Contact the parish office to include the name of a graduate to be congratulated at Mass.

HICKORY ST. ALOYSIUS, 921 Second St., N.E. — Charismatic Mass in Spanish, Sebastian Chapel, 7 p.m. June 3. For more information, call Joan Moran at 828-994-0880.

HIGH POINT I M M A C U L AT E H E A RT O F M A RY CHURCH, 4145 Johnson St. — International Festival, 3:30 to 7 p.m. May 23. Enjoy the foods, costumes, dancing and entertainment from many cultures. Please bring your favorite international or local family-sized dish to share.

Episcopal

calendar

MURPHY ST. WILLIAM CHURCH, 765 Andrews Road — Bereavement Support Group, the Glenmary, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays through June 1. For more information, contact Heather Schmitt at 828-361-3069.

SALISBURY SACRED HEART CHURCH, 375 Lumen Christi Lane — Mass of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 6 p.m. June 11, to commemorate the culmination of the Year for Priests. Offered for those bishops and priests honored through the Te Deum Foundation’s Year for Priests Program. For more information, call 336-7651815 or email tedeumfoundation@gmail.com.

SWANNANOA ST. MARGARETY MARY CHURCH, 102 Andrew Pl. — Parish Picnic and Bilingual Mass, Lake Tomahawk, 11:30 a.m. May 30. Sign up to bring a dish.

Is your parish or school hosting a free event open to the public? Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Planner is 10 days prior to desired publication date.

Submit in writing to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org or fax to 704-370-3382.

Vermont settles 26 abuse lawsuits

BURLINGTON, Vt. (CNS) ― The Diocese of Burlington has settled 26 lawsuits involving clergy sex abuse for $17.65 million and put its administration building and a former Catholic summer camp up for sale to help cover the cost.

Bishop Salvatore R. Matano of Burlington, whose diocese covers the entire state, said the diocese’s unrestricted reserves “have been depleted to satisfy the financial costs of these settlements.”

“I once again apologize most sincerely for the pain the victims have suffered,” he told Vermont Catholics May 13. “I ask that you join me in praying always for these wounded and hurt brothers and sisters. It is my constant hope that one day we will be united in the faith.”

The diocese also settled three cases that had been appealed to the Vermont Supreme Court.

The diocese is seeking “a suitable and reasonable relocation” for the diocesan offices,” the bishop said.

Irish watchdog agency reports nearly 200 claims of churchrelated abuse

DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) ― A May 17 report from an Irish Church-funded body set up to improve child protection procedures reported 197 new allegations of Church-related child abuse between April 1, 2009, and March 31.

The National Board for the Safeguarding of Children in the Catholic Church, an independent advisory board founded by the Irish bishops in 2006, said all the allegations were also reported to the civil authorities. In each case, the complainants were adults who said they had been abused as children.

The majority of cases involved sexual abuse. Eighty-three of the alleged perpetrators are deceased; of the 114 allegations relating to living people, 35 have already been laicized or dismissed from their communities.

Dutch bishops approve inquiry into abuse cases

UTRECHT, Netherlands (CNS) ― The Dutch bishops’ conference and the conference of Dutch religious jointly approved a “broad external and

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events:

May 23 – 12:30 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

May 26 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Joseph Church, Newton

May 24 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Divine Redeemer Church, Boonville

May 27 – 10 a.m.

Diocesan Foundation Board Meeting Catholic Conference Center, Hickory

May 25 – 11 a.m.

Choose Life License Plate Rally N.C. General Assembly Building, Raleigh

May 27 – 7:30 p.m.

Bishop McGuinness High School Baccalaureate Mass Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, High Point

independent inquiry” May 11 into cases of clerical sexual abuse and how they were handled. The conferences said the number of cases reported to a Church-sponsored victims’ assistance office since February “necessitates a thorough investigation.”

Since February, more than 1,500 people have contacted a victims’ assistance hotline and more than 50 formal complaints have been filed. The bishops and religious urged “victims who have not yet reported” to contact the police or the hotline.

Case against German bishop closed

AUGSBURG, Germany (CNS) ― Citing lack of evidence, prosecutors said they closed an investigation into alleged sexual abuse by a German bishop whose resignation was accepted by the Vatican May 8. The investigation of Bishop Walter Mixa, who admitted hitting children during his time as head of a children’s home but denied sexually abusing them, ended May 14, according to the Deutsche Press-Agentur news agency. Bishop Mixa’s lawyer denied the sex abuse accusation.

U.S. bishop: Crisis shows victims’ deep hurt

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNS) ― Bishops in the U.S. have learned that injury to victims of priestly sexual abuse “is deeper than non-victims can imagine,” said the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People last week.

Catholics have been hurt by the “moral failings of some priests” and angered “even more by bishops who failed to put children first” when reports of abuse surfaced, said Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Rapid City, S.D. In the May 17 issue of “America” magazine, Bishop Cupich outlined 12 of the most important lessons he said bishops have learned from the crisis.

One of the primary lessons, he wrote, has been that the impact of abuse on children is “crushing, precisely because it comes at a stage in their lives when they are vulnerable, tender with enthusiasm, hopeful for the future and eager for friendships based on trust and loyalty.” He said bishops must continue to reach out to victims despite the “justified anger felt by victims toward the Church.”

CORRECTIONS n In the May 14 edition of The Catholic News & Herald, the profile of Father Wilbur N. Thomas did not mention in the list of his previous assignments that he was director of diocesan youth ministry. The names of the Pontifical College Josephinum and Bishop McGuinness High School were also misstated. Also, to clarify: Father Thomas is rector of the Basilica of St. Lawrence and pastor of St. Lawrence parish. n In the May 7 edition, the caption for “Advocating for immigration reform” contained an error.

Members of Holy Cross Church in Kernersville traveled to Washington, D.C., to march for immigration reform but were not accompanied by Father Paul DeChant.

We regret the errors.

4 The Catholic News & Herald

May 21, 2010

AROUND THE DIOCESE

DIOCESAN NEWS IN BRIEF

Bishop to speak at rally

Bishop Peter J. Jugis of the Diocese of Charlotte will be the featured speaker at the “Free Speech–Why Not NC?” rally in Raleigh starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 25, at the Legislative Building, 16 West Jones Street in Raleigh. Bishop Jugis will be joined by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh.

The rally is being held to bring attention to proposed Choose Life license plates. Supporters of the Choose Life plates have repeatedly introduced legislation into the General Assembly to create the specialty plate, but so far the matter has not been brought forward for a vote.

Specialty plates cost more than regular plates with the additional funds collected going to a designated organization. Choose Life funds collected would support 80 pregnancy care centers in the state. Choose Life license plates foster respect for life, especially for the unborn. No money from the plates would go to either diocese.

Deacon to be ordained May 29 at cathedral

CHARLOTTE ― Seminarian Joshua A. Voitus will be ordained a deacon Saturday, May 29, at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East. Everyone is welcome to the 10 a.m. ordination Mass, which will be celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis. See invitation on page 11.

Four priests to be ordained June 5

HUNTERSVILLE ― Four deacons in the Diocese of Charlotte will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, June 5. The ordination Mass will begin at 10 a.m. at St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Road, in Huntersville.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will be the celebrant, and he invites everyone in the diocese to participate in support of our priests.

The four men being ordained are: Deacon Gabriel Carvajal-Salazar, John James Eckert, David Parker Miller and Lucas Christopher Rossi.

Look for advance coverage of the ordinations in next week’s edition, as well as complete coverage online and in the June 11 print edition of The Catholic News & Herald.

Corpus Christi to be marked at Pennybyrn

HIGH POINT ― Pennybyrn at Maryfield will celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, commemorating the 16th anniversary of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration at Maryfield, at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 6, in the Maryfield Chapel. Abbot Placid D. Solari, OSB, of Belmont Abbey will be the principal celebrant. Refreshments will be served after the Mass. Maryfield Chapel is located on the campus of Pennybyrn at Maryfield, 1315 Greensboro Road, High Point.

Mass for priests planned for June 11

SALISBURY ― A special Mass of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, commemorating the culmination of the Year For Priests, will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, June 11, at Sacred Heart Church, 375 Lumen Christi Lane.

The Mass will be offered for the bishops and priests honored through the Te Deum Foundation’s Year for Priests Program. A reception will follow. For details, call 336-765-1815 or e-mail TeDeumFoundation@gmail.com.

Russell of Belmont, who serves in the Diocese of Charlotte, was one of many School Sisters of St. Francis who attended the congregation’s General Assembly April 12-26 at the international offices of the congregation in Milwaukee, Wis. During the General Assembly, the School Sisters of St. Francis elected a new international leadership team who will take office July 1: Sister Kathleen Kluthe, president (U.S.); Schwester Rita Eble (Germany), Sister Francitta Pazhukkathara (South India) and Sister Elsa Paul Chiriyankandath (North India) as the three vice presidents.

The General Assembly, held every four years, consists of representatives from all five provinces of the School Sisters of St. Francis in the U.S., Latin America, North India, South India and Europe.

Talk on ethical infertility treatments set for July 22

GREENVILLE, S.C. ― “Caring for the Infertile Couple,” a presentation on the ethical treatments available for infertile couples, will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, July 22, at St. Mary Church in Greenville.

Co-sponsored by the Diocese of Charleston and the Natural Family Planning Program of Catholic Social Services for the Diocese of Charlotte, the program will feature Sister Renee Mirkes, O.S.F., PH.D., Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity, ethicist and director of the NaProEthics

rockhilloratory.com

Sunday, June 13 through Wednesday, June 16 Richard Gaillardetz The schedule includes presentations from 7-9 pm Sunday, and Monday-Wednesday from 4-5:30 pm and 7-9 pm, with a supper break.

For more information, contact The Oratory.

Columbiettes ‘raise the roof’ in fundraiser

KERNERSVILLE ― The Columbiettes of Holy Cross Church recently held a “Soup and Salad” fundraiser to help with roof repairs needed in the Holy Cross Day Care Center. Sharon Ladd, past president of Holy Cross Columbiettes, presented Father Paul DeChant April 19 with a check to help finance the repairs. The fundraiser, “Raise the Roof,” was a big success, they reported. ― Submitted by Carol Pennington We welcome your parish’s news.

E-mail items to Editor Patricia Guilfoyle at plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org.

The priest is there at our Baptism, the beginning of our Christian lives. Throughout our journeys, he presents us with Jesus in the Holy Eucharist; through him, our sins are absolved in Reconciliation; he asks the Lord’s blessing in the sacrament of Holy Marriage; and he blesses us with Holy Anointing in our last moments of earthly life.

MILWAUKEE ― Sister Jane Elysse

Visions in Faith

CHARLOTTE ― The Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center and The Catholic News & Herald offices will be closed in observance of Memorial Day Monday, May 31. Offices will reopen Tuesday, June 1.

HONOR YOUR SPECIAL PRIEST

THE ORATORY (803) 327-2097

CN&H office will be closed May 31

Now you can

SSSF elects international leadership team

434 Charlotte Avenue, P.O. Box 11586 Rock Hill, SC 2973-1586

Center at Pope Paul VI institute.

There will also be a panel discussion with Dr. Inge Collins, an OB/GYN, Dr. Patrick Yeung Jr., a specialist in fertility-restoring surgery for the Duke University Health System, and Father Patrick Cooper.

Lunch will be provided. RSVP by July 8 to cssnfp@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3230.

When is the last time you said “thank you” for that special priest, living or deceased, who has blessed your life?

During this Year for Priests, the Te Deum Foundation offers you a unique opportunity to honor that priest – and at the same time, you will be helping the Te Deum Foundation.

For a contribution of $25 or greater, your special priest will receive a beautiful card, featuring a specially commissioned painting of St. John Vianney and expressing your personal appreciation for his priesthood and his blessings in your life. Also, at the end of the Year for Priests on June 11, a Mass will be offered for all priests honored through the Te Deum Foundation.

Say “thank you” to the special priest in your life. It’s easy by going to the Web site at TeDeumFoundation.org or by calling (336)765-1815.

By mail: The Te Deum Foundation, 2767 London Lane, Winston - Salem, NC 27103

May 21, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 5

around the diocese

Missa Cantata for Ascension Thursday Father Timothy Reid (center) celebrates the Mass of the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord at St. Ann Church in Charlotte on Ascension Thursday, May 13. The Mass was celebrated in the extraordinary form and the choir chanted in Latin throughout the Mass. For more photos of the Mass, go online to www. charlottediocese.org.

photo by SueAnn

Howell

‘Teaching Mass’ celebrated at Immaculate Conception Kathleen Healy Schmieder Correspondent HENDERSONVILLE ― Participants in the weekly Bible Study class at Immaculate Conception Church organized a “Teaching Mass” May 5 to share what they had learned in class with the entire parish.

Because the Mass is our most sacred prayer, parishioners wanted a greater awareness of its meaning and purpose. The class also created a booklet containing commentary and Scriptural background notes about the Mass.

Narrated by members of the class, readers began a comprehensive lesson regarding the importance of this celebration for our faith and commitment

to God’s instruction in our worship.

Following this, the narrators provided an observance of the sanctuary, describing the purpose and symbolic intention of the altar, tabernacle, sanctuary lamp, sacramentals and iconic images located in the church, ending with an explanation of the crucifix and its central place in the sanctuary and purpose in our lives.

Father Nick Mormando told the congregation about the liturgical responsibilities he holds in the Church: to preside over the Mass and offer the Eucharist as commanded by Jesus at the Last Supper, to distribute the divine graces through the sacraments, to preach the Word of God in the proper manner and to present through his homilies a fuller understanding of the Word.

Deacon Chuck Moss then explained his tasks as liturgical assistant during the Mass, including preparing the altar, receiving the gifts during the offertory, proclaiming the Gospel and giving the final dismissal during the concluding rites. Other responsibilities include making intercessions and offering petitions for the faithful, invitation to prayer, preaching the Word of God, offering blessings to objects and people, and ministering some of the sacraments.

Both Father Mormando and Deacon Moss were then vested before the congregation while the pieces were named and the symbolism of each vestment explained. Members of the class then came to the altar with vestments in each of the colors worn by the priest,

Let your Catholic Voice be Heard!

Join Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh for the “Free Speech - Why Not NC?” rally at 11 am on Tuesday, May 25th in Raleigh in front of the Legislative Building at 16 West Jones Street.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis Charlotte

Bishop Jugis will speak at the rally in support of the Choose Life license plate.

Currently 24 states offer the optional Choose Life license plate which provides funding for pregnancy care services and thereby respects and protects life.

Details at www.CatholicVoiceNC.org.

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge Raleigh

explaining how the colors hold special meaning for the various times of the liturgical year.

Minister of Music Steve Aldridge then explained the role music plays in the celebration of the Mass to enhance the liturgy.

The “Teaching Mass” then began with the processional hymn and each part of the Mass was explained as the Mass proceeded so the participants could gain a greater awareness and appreciation for its beauty and meaning.

The approximately 300 attendees greeted Father Mormando at the end of the Mass, expressing their appreciation for the opportunity to learn, or relearn, the meaning of our worship.

The “Teaching Mass” will be repeated in September, open to people of all faiths, to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the Mass and its fundamental, central purpose in our faith.

6 The Catholic News & Herald

May 21, 2010

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Graduation Day at Belmont Abbey College

photos by SueAnn

Howell

(Above) Abbot Placid Solari (left), abbot of Belmont Abbey Monastery, congratulates Chris Ragusa during Belmont Abbey College’s 132nd commencement May 15. This was the largest graduating class in the college’s history with 196 diplomas awarded. Reverend Monsignor Mauricio W. West, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, was awarded an honorary doctorate from Belmont Abbey College during the ceremony. The Class of 2010 valedictorian was Brian Zinser and Abbey Student of the Year was college newspaper editor Mariana Smith.

(Right) Soon-to-be-graduates stand during the baccalaureate Mass celebrated by Abbot Placid Solari in front of the Abbey Basilica the morning of May 15.

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Matt Newsome

Family and friends gathered May 8 to celebrate a baccalaureate Mass at St. Mary Church in Sylva for the graduating seniors of Western Carolina University. Father Shawn O’Neal, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Bryson City, was the celebrant. The parish seniors are all active in Catholic Campus Ministry at WCU. Pictured are (from left): Timothy Hamilton, Gloria Schweizer (former WCU campus minister, now serving as the Asheville area campus minister), Daniel Coughlin, Father Shawn O’Neal, Matthew Newsome (WCU’s campus minister), Thomas Roberts and Elayna Castillo.

May 21, 2010

around the diocese

The Catholic News & Herald 7

New ministry tackles refugee crisis in Greensboro Stephen Martin Special to The Catholic News & Herald

photo provided by Pat Spivey

Ndabarushimama Christopher, a refugee from Burundi, attends St. Pius X Church in Greensboro with his family.

GREENSBORO ― Hundreds of refugees arrive in Greensboro each year with few prospects and almost no money. But local relief agencies do not have nearly enough resources to assist them all. Often limited in their English, refugees struggle right away to find work, pay bills and make friends. It’s a vicious cycle – and St. Pius X Church is trying to help break it.

The church’s newly formed Refugee Ministry already has aided several families, including the Pampos and the Hakizamanas, two families from Africa who attend Mass at St. Pius X regularly.

“This is a massive community crisis for Greensboro, and St. Pius X can do a lot to help,” said Richard Schmidt, co-founder of the Refugee Ministry.

“We need monetary donations, we need volunteers, we need all the support our parishioners can offer.”

The Hakizamanas offer one example of the rapid progress refugee families can make when they get the support they need.

The family of five brothers and sisters, which also has two young children, came to Greensboro in September after nine years in refugee camps in Tanzania. They saw several family members murdered during the 1990s genocide in Rwanda and their home country of Burundi, and barely escaped harm themselves.

Once in Greensboro, they worked with a relief agency that found them an

HOW YOU CAN HELP n GREENSBORO REFUGEE MINISTRY – Help is needed in the Greensboro area with transportation, English language tutoring, grant writing and donations for local refugee families.

Contact John Sweeney at jsweeneypersonal@ gmail.com or Richard Schmidt at schmidtad@ aol.com. n CHARLOTTE REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT OFFICE ― The Refugee Resettlement Office of Catholic Social Services in Charlotte is also in need of couches, loveseats, chairs, dining tables, bedding, towels, dishes and lamps to furnish apartments for newly-arrived refugees in the Charlotte area. Staff would welcome any donations (except clothing) in this time of need. Volunteer help with apartment setups are also welcome. Contact Mary Jane Bruton at 704-370-3283 or mjbruton@ charlottediocese.org.

apartment and helped arrange medical appointments and English classes. With the help of volunteers from throughout the community, the family has found work and is adjusting successfully to their new home.

But many other refugees continue to struggle badly, said John Sweeney, chairman of the Refugee Ministry.

“These families need our help urgently, especially during the first six months after their arrival. Getting to know them and assisting them toward independence is incredibly rewarding.”

Columbiettes welcome new members

May 26, 2010

photo provided by

Maggie Herbstritt

Columbiettes Bishop Greco Council 9499 at Holy Family Church in Clemmons inducted seven new members May 10. The Columbiettes promote spiritual, moral and social growth working hand in hand as a service organization with the Knights of Columbus. Newest members are (from right): Roni Yonka, Alenna DePinno, Christina Thomas, Tricia Sorensen, Nicky Collins, Sherry Lafferty and Patti Gloekler.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

WHO THEY ARE The Sisters of Mercy is an international community of women religious vowed to serve people who suffer from poverty, sickness and lack of education with a special concern for women and children. The community was founded in 1831 by Sister Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland.

There are more than 9,000 Sisters of Mercy worldwide.

THEIR MISSION Sisters of Mercy commit their lives to serving God’s people, especially those who are sick, poor and uneducated. In the spirit of the Gospel, their mission is to help overcome the obstacles that keep people from living full and dignified lives. A life of prayer and community supports their mission.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY It can take up to nine years to become a perpetually professed Sister of Mercy: two years of candidacy, one year of canonical novitiate, one year of apostolic novitiate (prayer and part-time ministry), first vow (3-6 years), and then the perpetual vow. Sisters of Mercy take four vows: poverty, chastity, obedience and service to the poor, sick and uneducated.

Chat with a Sister of Mercy nightly online: n Sunday through Thursday, 9-10 p.m. EST n Friday through Saturday, 10-11 p.m. EST You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

BECOME A VOLUNTEER Lay people can also get involved as volunteers with the Mercy Volunteer Corps in the U.S. or abroad. For details, go online to www. mercyvolunteers.org.

TO LEARN MORE Go online to www.mercysc.org.

— Source: www.mercysc.org

1869 Sisters of Our

Lady of Mercy found a convent in Wilmington at the request of Bishop James Gibbons.

Three sisters establish the Academy of the Incarnation in Wilmington.

1880 Sisters open Mt. St. Joseph Academy in Hickory, which they sell in 1888.

May 21, 2010

FROM TH

Mercy Sisters called to serve six communities making up the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas MERCY, from page 1 in North, South and Central America, the Caribbean, Guam and the Philippines.

International service is another of Carolinas HealthCare System. And hallmark of the Sisters of Mercy. Many they created social ministries such as Holy of the sisters who served in the Catholic Angels, a residential facility for the disabled; schools in North Carolina also taught in Catherine’s House, a transitional home for Guam in their earlier years. And those with homeless women and their children; and medical training served overseas as well.

House of Mercy, a residence where lowSister Jill Weber is working in health income people suffering from advanced care, living her fourth vow of service at Holy AIDS can get specialized care.

Angels in Belmont. Originally from New So what fuels their community? Service.

York, she attended Sacred Heart College in Belmont and “fell in love with the Sisters of The Call to Serve Mercy,” Sister Jill says. “They were down to Sisters of Mercy foundress Catherine earth and joyful. I loved their spirit.”

McAuley began the order in Ireland in 1831 Sister Jill entered the order in 1972 and with one goal: to serve the poor, the sick and served as a teacher for 15 years at Sacred the uneducated.

Heart School in Salisbury. She always wanted This call to serving others was so to pursue a career in health care, so after important that Venerable Catherine McAuley taking time to care for her ailing mother, the established a fourth vow for her order – one community allowed her to go back to school of service. to earn a physical therapy degree.

“Catherine wanted the community to “I always felt called to Holy Angels,” be out in the world, not cloistered,” says Sister Jill says. “The residents are poor Sister Kathy Green, president of the South in one sense because of their physical Central Sisters of Mercy community based disabilities, but they are rich in love in their in Belmont. gifts to everyone who takes care of them.”

“Service is at the heart of who we are,” Holy Angels was created by the Sister Kathy says.

Sisters of Mercy in the 1950s originally to Sister Kathy entered the order almost 40 provide day care for mill workers’ children years ago in Erie, Pa. She was a high school in Belmont. The residential facility now teacher for 13 years before she moved into serves 75 people, aged 1 through 64, with health care, becoming vice president of mental and physical disabilities. mission and sponsorship for Mercy Health Sister Jill has also made two mission in Cincinnati. She has spent the past eight trips to Jamaica to work alongside the years working in community leadership. She Missionaries of the Poor, tending to the moved to Belmont in 2008. needs of the poor there in the centers run by Sister Kathy helps lead the South the brothers under the direction of Father Central Community, comprised of some 700 Richard Ho Lung. sisters, 600 associates and thousands of staff Most recently, Sister Jill traveled to who serve in Mercy-sponsored programs Haiti to help people affected by the deadly and institutions. After a merger in 2008, the earthquakes.

South Central Community became one of Since their inception, the Sisters of Mercy have had a special place in their hearts for women and children, and one of their ministries that still carries out the original mission of their foundress is the rightly named “Catherine’s House.”

Sister Carmelita Hagan, house manager and volunteer coordinator at Catherine’s House, is from Ireland. She attended Sacred Heart College and joined the Sisters of Mercy in 1963.

She has been serving at The Sisters of Mercy are pictured in front of their motherhouse in Belmont about Catherine’s House for 1901. Seated in the center is the Mother Superior, Mother Mary Augustine Kent. eight years.

1887 Sisters open

forerunner of today’s St. Patrick School in Charlotte.

1892 Abbot Leo Haid, OSB, of Belmont Abbey, who also served as bishop, requests the sisters’ presence in Belmont. The sisters establish a boarding and day school called Sacred Heart Academy.

1900 Sisters open St.

1913

Mercy Hospital opens in Charlotte.

The sisters separate from the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Charleston and join the Sisters of Mercy, founded in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831.

1910 Sisters open St.

1935 Sacred Heart

Joseph’s Sanitorium in Asheville for tuberculosis patients.

1906

Leo’s Junior Military School for Boys, which operates until 1962.

Junior College in Belmont is established.

1938 St. Joseph’s

Sanitorium in Asheville

“Our work here is the compassionate, loving care we give to the homeless women and children,” Sister Carmelita says.

Women at Catherine’s House can further their education, earn their GEDs, and become self-sufficient and confident providers for their children.

The Sense of Community Besides their call to service, the Sisters of Mercy have another charism that defines them: their shared sense of community. It is a bond of faith and of sisterhood.

“Mission, prayer and community are at the heart of religious lives,” Sister Kathy says.

becomes a general hospital.

1946

Three Sisters of Mercy leave Belmont for Guam, where they receive 10 women in the first year, with 10 more waiting to enter the community.

1955 Sisters begin

staffing Charlotte Catholic High School.

1956 A young mother asks for the sisters’ help caring for her seriously ill infant daughter. Other parents of children with disabilities ask for help, and, in response, the sisters open a home for the children that later becomes Holy Angels in Belmont.

1957 Sister

establish Sa Heart Grade in Belmont, w operates unt

1966 Sacre

College bec senior coll closes in 19

1991

House a residence

The Catholic News & Herald 9

HE COVER

Sisters of Mercy profess four vows: poverty, obedience, chastity, and service to the poor and infirm, particularly women and children. (Left) Sister Maria Goretti Weldon, Sister Mary Jerome Spradley and Mother Mary Benignus Hoban, who co-founded Holy Angels in Belmont in 1956 to care for children and adults with varying degrees of mental retardation and disabilities. Sister Mary Jerome is a native North Carolinian whose name is synonymous with Mercy Hospital in Charlotte.

(Below) Sister Mary Evangelist Nixon visits Santosh Rao at Mercy Hospital in 1981.

(Bottom right) Julia Jordon talks with Sister M. Matthew Snow in an undated photo.

(Far left) Sister Mary Annette McBennett visits a patient at Mercy Hospital in 1984. photos provided by the Sisters of

They pray together at morning and evening prayer. They also attend daily Mass together and share meals either at the motherhouse or in their residences for those who live off campus.

“I know that wherever we are, we are there for one another, we are there in spirit,” Sister Jill says. “Community is a large part of our life. It’s more than just the number of Sisters of Mercy you live with. It is the bond we have … the love we have for one another.”

The Sisters of Mercy have communities in 17 states in the U.S., as well as Jamaica and Guam. About 36 sisters live at the motherhouse in Belmont for the South Central Group.

rs acred e School which ntil 1988.

ed Heart comes a lege. It 987.

e of Mercy, e for those

living with advanced AIDS, opens in Belmont.

1992

Catherine’s House, a transitional facility for women and women with children who are homeless, opens in Belmont.

1995

Mercy Hospital, known as Mercy Health Services, is sold.

Mercy

“We have a wonderful, praying community that shares all things in common,” Sister Carmelita says. “Our prayer life is very important to us.”

Getting the Job Done Worldwide, the Sisters of Mercy now number more than 9,000 strong, and continue to fulfill the mission that Catherine McAuley began more than 180 years ago.

Myra Joines, director of communications for the South Central Community, characterizes them best: “The Sisters of Mercy are out there to do what needs to be done, working in the world to get it done.”

1996 Sisters of

Mercy of North Carolina Foundation is established with proceeds from the sale of Mercy Health Services. By March 2010, the foundation has awarded nearly $46 million in grants supporting the work of selected tax exempt health care,

educational and social service organizations.

1997 Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina join with Sisters of Mercy in Baltimore to form Mercy Housing Southeast that has developed 2,500 affordable homes for low-income people.

1997 Well of Mercy

Retreat Center opens in Hamptonville.

1998 Sisters of

Mercy sell St. Joseph Hospital to Memorial Mission Medical Center. Sisters retain ownership of Sisters of Mercy Services Corp., which oversees the operations of

Sisters of Mercy Urgent Care Inc.; Mountain Health Services Inc.; Mountain Health Contracting Services Inc.; and Catherine McAuley MERCY Foundation Inc.

2008

The Sisters of Mercy, Regional Community of North Carolina, joins with

the regional communities of Baltimore, Cincinnati and St. Louis to form the Sisters of Mercy – South Central Community.

Based in Belmont, the new community is comprised of 17 states, Jamaica and Guam.

10 The Catholic News & Herald

May 21, 2010

Year for Priests

Fraternity of St. Clare, Winston-Salem, elects new council

Interviews with priests around the diocese

FATHER KURT FOHN

FATHER KURT FOHN Pastor, St. Philip the Apostle Statesville Place of Birth & Home Parish – Born in Neumuenster, Germany High School – Neumuenster, Germany College/University – Degree in textile chemistry at M-Gladbach-Rheydt, Germany Seminary – Blessed Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass.

Date of Ordination – June 2, 2001

What other assignments have you had since ordination?

St. Leo the Great Church, Winston-Salem St. Lucien Church, Spruce Pine St. Bernadette, Linville

What are some ways that we can help all people/families understand their role in promoting and supporting vocations?

By meditating on the mysteries of the rosary What have been some of the greatest joys for you as a priest?

Celebrating Mass, visiting the sick

Who influenced you most to consider the vocation to priesthood?

Father William Pharr What was your background before you entered seminary?

I spent 37 years as a textile chemist with BASF. What would people be surprised to know about you?

I have 11 grandchildren and 4 children.

What are some of your hobbies?

photo provided by

Betti Longinotti

The Fraternity of St. Clare, Winston-Salem, of the Secular Franciscan Order within the Brothers and Sisters of St. Francis Region elected new council members May 11.

The new council is: Betti Longinotti, minister; Jim Lindquist, vice minister; Dave Weppner, secretary/historian; Kris Jonczak, treasurer; Marian McKelvy, formation director; and councilors Laura Graban, Frank O’Neil (not pictured) and Ron Seeber (not pictured). Also pictured are Franciscan Sister Kathy Ganiel, spiritual assistant, and Pat Cowan, regional councilor/elections presider. More information about the Fraternity of St. Clare can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/fraternityofstclare.

Asheville Catholic Daughters mark 90th anniversary

Soccer, running marathons (Boston, New York, Marine Corps) What are some of your favorite books/ spiritual reading/magazines?

“Divine Intimacy” by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Who is a hero to you?

Pope Benedict XVI What advice would you give a young man who is contemplating a vocation to the priesthood?

Meditate on the mysteries of the rosary

photo provided by Carole

McGrotty, Tom Troop and Diane Wright

Asheville’s Court 412 of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas celebrated its 90th birthday with a reception and Mass at the Basilica of St. Lawrence April 25.

Father Wilbur N. Thomas, rector of the basilica, celebrated the Mass and gave a homily focusing on the importance of the CDA. Pictured above are the members of Asheville’s Court 412. CDA was founded in 1903 by the Knights of Columbus in Utica, N.Y. Asheville Court 412 was chartered March 21, 1920, and is the oldest court in the state. CDA has 1,400 courts and 95,000 members nationwide. CDA members donate to charities, administer scholarship programs and strive “to be helping hands where there is pain, poverty, sorrow or sickness.” They are dedicated to the Blessed Mother, their patroness, and “strive to be spirit-filled women who love Christ, His Church, our country and all humanity.” Their CDA emblem, featuring the cross and the crown, symbolizes the reward promised to the faithful.

The Catholic News & Herald 11

May 21, 2010

Culture Watch

A roundup of Scripture, readings, films and more

considering the pill’s impact on society, Catholics are less likely than Protestants to say it has improved family life.

The birth control pill has made American family life... better CatholiCs

worse 38%

Protestants

white evangeliCals

41%

Source: CBS News poll

11%

20%

NEW YORK (CNS) ― The following is a capsule review by Catholic News Service: n “Letters to Juliet” (Summit) Director Gary Winick’s old-fashioned romantic comedy explores time-honored themes of love, loss, family and destiny amid a beautifully photographed Italian travelogue as it chronicles New York-based magazine fact-checker Sophie’s (Amanda Seyfried) journey to Verona – the city of “Romeo and Juliet” – where, left on her own by her food-obsessed chef fiancé Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal), Sophie visits Juliet’s house

and discovers a kind of Wailing Wall for the amorous, where lovesick women leave letters seeking relationship advice. Sophie’s answer to one such missive, penned 50 years before by Englishwoman Claire (Vanessa Redgrave), prompts Claire to return, with her obnoxious grandson Charlie (Christopher Egan) in tow, determined to find her long-lost idol Lorenzo.

An implied premarital relationship, a brief obscene gesture. The CNS classification is A-II – adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG – parental guidance suggested.

Some material may not be suitable for children.

no difference

16%

52%

MOVIE REVIEW

41%

29%

27%

©2010 CNS

As the pill marks its 50th year, its promises remain unfulfilled Nancy Frazier O’Brien Catholic News Service WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNS) ― Fifty years ago this May, the Food and Drug Administration gave its approval for the use of a combination of the hormones progesterone and estrogen that the pharmaceutical company Searle said would prevent pregnancy 99.7 percent of the time.

Known simply as “the pill,” it was heralded as a way to reduce divorces, unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

But statistics show just the opposite.

“It’s very easy to find summaries from that time of everything that was promised,” said Helen Alvare, an associate professor of law at George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Va. “There would be greater equality for women; they would no longer be essentially slaves to their biology.”

But it didn’t turn out that way.

In a talk called “Contraception: Why Not?” that has been reprinted or downloaded more than a million times since it was first delivered in 1994, moral theologian Janet Smith said “it was not a stupid expectation” in the 1960s “that contraceptives would make for better marriages, fewer unwanted pregnancies, fewer abortions.”

“But I think the cultural evidence today shows absolutely the contrary,” added Smith, now a professor of moral theology who holds the Father Michael J. McGivney chair in life ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.

There are plenty of statistics that prove her point: n As the use of the pill became more widespread, the divorce rate doubled from 25 percent of all U.S.

marriages in 1965 to 50 percent in 1975. n Although the percentage of “unintended” pregnancies in 1960 is unknown, 6 percent of white children and 22 percent of black children were born out of wedlock that year, Smith says. By the middle of the past decade, one-third of white births, 70 percent of black births and half of Hispanic births were to unwed mothers. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy says more than 3 million of the 6.4 million pregnancies in the U.S. annually are unplanned; about 1.2 million of those result in abortions each year. n Although abortion did not become legal throughout the U.S. until 12 years after the advent of the pill, the availability of birth control has not reduced abortions, which totaled more than 45 million between 1973 and 2005. The number of abortions slightly decreased each year in the 2000s, but few credit the pill for the decline.

Alvare, who served for many years as the U.S. bishops’ chief pro-life spokeswoman, believes the achievements women have made toward obtaining equal treatment with men have “nothing to do with the chemicals they’ve swallowed.”

The major disconnect caused by the arrival of the pill has been a loss of “the idea that men and women make babies,” Alvare said. “In any literature today about sex, it seems that unprotected sex makes babies” or even that technology alone can make babies.

And as technological advances in artificial reproduction are made, “the idea that God plays a role in procreation” is lost in favor of the idea that “technology does or the failure to use it does,” she said.

His Excellency The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Bishop of Charlotte invites all the faithful of the diocese to the Liturgy of Ordination to the Diaconate of Joshua Adam Voitus Saturday, May 29, 2010 ten o’clock in the morning

Cathedral of Saint Patrick 1621 Dilworth Road, East Charlotte, North Carolina

12 The Catholic News & Herald

May 21, 2010

in our schools

Charlotte Catholic freshmen

Class pledges to help Holy Angels throughout their high school years Christy Healy Correspondent BELMONT ― Charlotte Catholic High School students are known for their community involvement and works of charity, but this year’s freshman class has gone a step further.

The class has pledged the four years of their high school careers in volunteer service to the Holy Angels community of Belmont.

Charlotte Catholic and Holy Angels have had a long and close partnership, but this specific project is a first for both the school and the nonprofit corporation, which cares for children and adults with varying degrees of mental retardation, some of whom have physical disabilities and are medically fragile.

The students have been helping out at Holy Angels and raising money throughout this school year. Most recently they were particularly active in Holy Angels’ popular Spring Angelic Apparel Sale and Yard Sale April 22-24.

The students’ generosity will “teach students about the importance of philanthropy, making them the donors of tomorrow,” says Sister Nancy Nance of Holy Angels. The Sisters of Mercy opened Holy Angels in 1956 in response to the need to care for “God’s innocents,” as founding Mother Mary Benignus Hoban lovingly called them.

Sister Nancy particularly cited the fund-raising campaign spearheaded

by Charlotte Catholic’s athletics department, which has raised a total of more than $43,000 in support of Holy Angels.

For their freshman year project, the class of 2013 has dedicated their time and energy in volunteering at Holy Angels.

Jennifer Sheely, who headed up the April event, praised the students’ enthusiasm and spirit, especially their willingness to perform all kinds of work for this project.

“Honestly,” she says, “we could not have done this without their help.”

When asked about her experience volunteering at Holy Angels, freshman Lindsay Russell said, “I like it a lot; it’s a really good thing to help people!”

Her friend and fellow classmate Collen Buck added, “And it’s been a lot more fun that we thought.”

Each year, the Charlotte Catholic students will focus on a specific aspect of volunteering at Holy Angels, according to Sheely.

“Hopefully,” she said, “this experience will foster philanthropic impulses that will follow (the students) for the rest of their lives.”

Before beginning their volunteer work, the Charlotte Catholic students participated in several empathy training sessions which helped them to understand the unique needs of Holy Angels’ residents and to identify with them.

Dennis Kuhn, vice president/COO of Holy Angels, headed up the training sessions.

Students learned how even the most challenged residents are given the opportunity to perform simple tasks, such as playing music through the use of unique motion-sensored wind chimes.

Kuhn told the students that each resident is first and foremost a child of God and is treated accordingly.

“At Holy Angels,” Kuhn says, “our residents are like a beautiful box of crayons. Each one of them is special.

They may seem a bit broken, but all are beautiful.”

Crowning Mary with flowers

photo provided by Pat

Burr

Second-graders at St. Michael School in Gastonia who made their first Communion this year led the school in the annual May crowning ceremony May 11. Pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students took part in praying a decade of the rosary and singing. Then each child in the school placed flowers around a statue of Mary at the school. Pictured are some of the second-graders dressed up in their first Communion clothes. Eighth-graders Alex Bidoglio (pictured) and Luciano Pogorzelski assisted Mayeth Martin (pictured) as she placed the crown on Mary.

Video conferencing at St. Ann’s

God is inviting you to come: are you ready?

“BE NOT AFRAID” Retreat July 15-17

photo provided by Lisa

“I am the way and the truth and the life”

-- John 14:6

St. Joseph Vietnamese Catholic Church 4929 Sandy Porter Rd., Charlotte, 28273 OUTSTANDING SPEAKERS

B. Horton

Valerie McGarity’s first-grade class at St. Ann School in Charlotte and Louise Houtz’s first-grade class in Womelsdorf, Pa., use video conferencing to read poems to each other May 13. This was made possible by a MACS Education Foundation Grant for Educational Excellence. St. Ann technology instructor Lisa Horton applied for the grant last year to buy the equipment needed for video conferencing with other schools around the country. Above, St. Ann first-grader Tahlia Butler reads her poem to the students in Pennsylvania, who can be seen on the screen behind her. The school’s next video conference will be done by the third grade, talking to third-graders at Eureka Primary School in the United Kingdom.

Rev. Father Paul Bergeron -- an international speaker and Louisiana native. Topic: Holy Eucharist, Mother Mary

Rev. Father Deogratias Rwegasira -- from Tanzania, Africa, Pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Easton, PA. Topic: Seven Capital Sins, Confession

Flor Maria Del Rosario Achong -- orphaned in the streets of San Jose, Costa Rica. Topic: Reconciliation

Robert R. Allard -- St. Lucie, FL, director of Apostles of Divine Mercy.

Topic: The Floodgates of Mercy are Opened Contact: Beth Manning at 704-365-6601 or 704-779-0257 (cell); Stephanie Alder 704-365-2209; Grace Narus 704-543-1237 Visit us at www.benotafraidretreat.com Donation suggestion: $35 for all 3 days Mail registration form (on Web site)and check payable to: Concordia Fisher, 8519 Dunsinane Dr., Charlotte, NC 28227

Full time coordinator of Youth Ministry Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church Full time coordinator of Youth Ministry sought by Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, a parish of 1,600 families in High Point, N.C. Candidate should be a practicing Catholic with experience in Youth Ministry and at least a B.A. in Theology or related field. Salary and benefits competitive. Position requires work with youth in grades 6-12, parents, and parish youth ministry team. Start July contract year. Call or write: Search Committee, I.H.M., 605 Barbee Ave., High Point, N.C. 27262, Phone: 336-884-5212; Fax: 336-884-1849

May 21, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 13

IN OUR SCHOOLS

Homeschoolers get early start on March for Life 2011 fundraising with performance Mary B. Worthington Correspondent

photo by

Mary B. Worthington

“I’m the only girl in school!” Anne Gilbreth, played

by Laura Hutchins, tries to convince her dad Frank Gilbreth, played by Matthew Curran, that she should be allowed to wear silk stockings to school as mom Lillian Gilbreth, played by Sarah Kepins, looks on in a performance of “Cheaper by the Dozen.” Matthew and Sarah are members of the Triad Students for Life group that benefited from the fundraising performance.

KERNERSVILLE — “Right now is the happiest time in the world!”

A well-known line from the 1920s play “Cheaper by the Dozen” set the stage for home-schooled students from the Triad area who performed the play to raise money for their trip to Washington, D.C., during the March for Life in January 2011.

“Last year, we raised enough funds to attend the march,” said Matthew Curran, 16, president of the Triad Students for Life group. “Then, we had a boom in membership and were only able to go to the Raleigh March for Life.”

Matthew started the pro-life group, consisting of 32 public, private and

home-schooled students, just over a year ago when he was criticized for his pro-life views and “realized I needed to know more about the topics.”

The grou p r egularly hosts speakers, will attend a retreat together with Rowan County Students for Life in the coming months, and also has “lots of fun,” Matthew said. “If we don’t have fun, how will we recruit more members?”

The cast of “Cheaper by the Dozen” performed at Holy Cross Church in Kernersville May 6 and included four members of the Triad pro-life group.

“It is the perfect play for a pro-life home-schooling group!” remarked mom Pattie Curran. “There are several lines in the play about having lots of children!”

always been close. close by.

You’ve Now you can be

SCHOOL NEWS IN BRIEF

Parents’ input requested about proposed high school

CHARLOTTE ― Two more meetings to determine the feasibility of a second high school in the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools system have been scheduled for this month: n 7:30 p.m. May 24 – St. Therese of Lisieux Church, 217 Brawley School Road, Mooresville n 7 p.m. May 25 – Holy Trinity Middle School, 3100 Park Road, Charlotte A “Study for School Expansion” was recently completed and one of its major findings was the need for a second high school somewhere north of center city Charlotte. The Long Range Planning Committee of the MACS school board is conducting a study to develop recommendations for the feasibility of a second high school, according to the MACS Web site.

At these meetings parents can hear about the proposal, ask questions and complete a survey that will measure potential interest and enrollment for a second high school, according to the Web site.

The survey is also online at www. surveymonkey.com/s/newhighschool.

Survey results are a critical component of determining whether plans for a school could move forward.

More than 200 people attended similar meetings held earlier in May at St. Mark Church.

E-mail SteeringCommittee@ charlottediocese.org for more information.

Graduation and baccalaureate Mass dates set

The Catholic high schools of the Diocese of Charlotte have planned the following graduations and baccalaureate Masses: n Bishop McGuinness High School: baccalaureate Mass 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 27, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point; graduation 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 29, at the Stevens Center in Winston-Salem n Charlotte Catholic High School: baccalaureate Mass 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 2, at St. Matthew Church; graduation 3 p.m. Friday, June 4, at Bojangles’ Arena in Charlotte

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Respect for Life scholarship offered

The Room at the Inn Hero for Life Award is a $2,000 scholarship awarded each year to an outstanding 14- to 18-year-old who champions the unborn and fosters respect for life in our community. The deadline to apply is Monday, May 31. For details contact Debbie Capen at 704-525-4673, ext. 14, or email debbiecapen@rati.org.

We welcome your school’s news.

E-mail items to Editor Patricia Guilfoyle at plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org.

May 21, 2010

14 The Catholic News & Herald

Perspectives

A collection of columns, editorials and viewpoints

Prayer, conversion triumph over life’s threats, calamities VATICAN CITY (CNS) ― A life dedicated to prayer, penitence, and conversion will overcome the threats, dangers and horrors that mark human history, Pope Benedict XVI said during his general audience May 19.

Our Lady of Fatima invites everyone to trust in God, experience His grace and “fall in love with Him – the source of love and peace,” he said.

Speaking to about 13,000 people in St. Peter’s Square, the pope detailed some of the highlights of his May 1114 trip to Portugal. He said the voyage was “unforgettable” and represented “a touching experience for me, rich with many spiritual gifts.”

The trip allowed the pope to pay homage to Our Lady of Fatima when he visited the Marian shrine marking the site where three shepherd children witnessed a series of apparitions beginning May 13, 1917.

“The demanding yet comforting message Our Lady left at Fatima is full of hope,” the pope said.

He said Mary calls everyone to a life of “prayer, penance and conversion, which surpass the threats, dangers, and horrors of history.” She invites humanity to have hope “in God’s merciful love and trust in His saving plan, which triumphs over the threats and calamities of history,” he said.

The pope recalled that during an encounter with Portuguese parish groups and Catholic organizations, he called on the faithful to serve Christ and promote the common good.

In fact, he said, at Fatima many young people experience the importance of serving the needy because the shrine is “a school of faith, of hope, and also a school of charity and service to one’s brothers and sisters.”

The pope said he encouraged all lay faithful to evangelize the places where they live and work and plant the seeds of hope.

Christians have the duty to give witness to the Gospel so that “every situation of difficulty, suffering or fear may be transformed through the Holy Spirit into an occasion for growth and of life,” he said.

Following is the text of the pope’s remarks in English:

Dear Brothers and Sisters, My pastoral visit to Portugal this past week enabled me to honor Our Lady of Fatima and to pay homage to the distinguished history of Christian faith and evangelizing zeal of the Portuguese people. The visit began with a Mass celebrated in the Terreiro do Paço in Lisbon, where I urged Portugal’s Christians to carry on this

The Pope Speaks POPE BENEDICT XVI

great work of evangelization in our own day. The heart of my journey was my pilgrimage to Fatima for the 10th anniversary of the beatification of the shepherd children Francisco and Jacinta. The evening recitation of the rosary and the solemn Mass on the anniversary of the first apparition were centered on the message of Fatima. Our Lady’s exhortation to prayer, penance and conversion is essentially a summons to hope in God’s merciful love and trust in His saving plan, which triumphs over the threats and calamities of history.

As I give thanks for the blessings of my pilgrimage, I ask you to join me in asking Our Lady of Fatima to continue, by her prayers, to guide us on our journey to heaven, to open the hearts of all to God’s infinite mercy, and to confirm the Church in her perennial mission of proclaiming before the world the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am pleased to welcome the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims present at today’s audience, including the groups from England, Malaysia and the United States of America. I extend a special greeting to the students who are here and to the American Patrons of the Vatican Museums. Commending all of you to the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima, I ask Almighty God to pour out His blessings upon you.

It’s time for a ‘Choose Life’ North Carolina license plate In North Carolina, you can obtain a specialty license to support everything from shag dancing to spaying and neutering animals but you cannot purchase a license plate to support pregnancy resource centers that provide parenting classes, free ultrasounds, post-abortion counseling and baby supplies. As a matter of fact, North Carolina is the only state in the Southeast with that distinction!

House Bill 168, sponsored by Rep. Mitch Gillespie (R-McDowell), and Senate Bill 210, sponsored by Sen. Austin Allran (R-Catawba-Iredell), aim to make it possible for the citizens of North Carolina to obtain the Choose Life license plate. This year will mark the eighth time that this bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives. In the previous seven years, it has never been allowed to proceed to the floor for a vote by this chamber while more than 120 other plates have sailed through both chambers and on to the backs of vehicles in our state.

Currently 21 states offer the plate and three more have recently approved it. An additional 14 states, including North Carolina, are working with state legislatures to make the plate available to the public. To date, more than $10 million has been raised to support the life of the unborn and the newly born.

Some in the legislature have deemed the plate “too controversial.” That seems odd when one considers that the contentious Sons of Confederate Veterans plate emblazoned with the flag of the Confederacy has been approved. Others in the General Assembly have said that with its passage, the state would be taking sides on the pro-life/pro-choice debate. In response, it has been recommended that those who would like to petition for a prochoice plate, such as the kind available in Hawaii and Montana, simply find a sponsor to introduce the plate to the legislature.

It is time for North Carolina to have a Choose Life license plate. But like many pro-life bills, it will require an impressive number of vocal and visible voters speaking out on this issue to get this bill out of the committee known facetiously as the “Dead Letter Office” and into a committee that has the power

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 23 – MAY 29 Sunday (Pentecost Sunday), Acts 2:1-11, Romans 8:8-17, John 14:15-16, 23-26; Monday, 1 Peter 1:3-9, Mark 10:17-27; Tuesday (St. Bede, St. Gregory VII, St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi), 1 Peter 1:10-16, Mark 10:28-31; Wednesday (St. Philip Neri), 1 Peter 1:18-25, Mark 10:32-45; Thursday (St. Augustine of Canterbury), 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12, Mark 10:46-52; Friday, 1 Peter 4:7-13, Mark 11:11-26; Saturday, Jude 17, 20-25, Mark 11:27-33.

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 30 – JUNE 5 Sunday (The Most Holy Trinity), Proverbs 8:22-31, Romans 5:1-5, John 16:12-15; Monday (The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary), Zephaniah 3:14-18, Isaiah 12:2-6, Luke 1:39-56; Tuesday (St. Justin), 2 Peter 3:12-15, 17-18, Mark 12:13-17; Wednesday (Sts. Marcellinus and Peter), 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12, Mark 12:18-27; Thursday (St. Charles Lwanga and Companions), 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Mark 12:28-34; Friday, 2 Timothy 3:10-17, Mark 12:35-37; Saturday (St. Boniface), 2 Timothy 4:1-8, Mark 12:38-44.

Guest Column Monsignor Michael Clay Diocese of Raleigh

to pass it for a floor vote.

Some have said that the Church should not get involved in the affairs of government, even something as benign as a specialty plate, citing the First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution as their reference. To do so is to misinterpret the meaning of this amendment.

The article was established to ensure that no one church or religious denomination would be the official church of the government as was the case in Europe when the Constitution was written. It does not prohibit any faith tradition from speaking out on moral and ethical issues in the interest of the common good of the country.

The same amendment, which also addresses the right to free speech, even protects the right of the Church and her spokespersons or any other faith tradition to address issues of concern to governmental leaders. This is what makes our nation so great. We have the freedom to express ourselves and everyone, including Church officials, is allowed to convey his or her thoughts and beliefs to those who enact laws that will impact the common good of our country.

It is for the common good of our state to have a Choose Life license plate.

It secures funds at no expense to state taxpayers to support the unborn, the newly born and their parents at a time when services are being cut back due to budget deficits.

It says that free speech is a hallmark of this state and a guaranteed right.

Please do what you can to make this plate available in North Carolina.

Here are some practical steps you can take: 1) contact your state representative and senator and tell them you want this plate to be made available; 2) sign an online petition in support of the Choose Life plate by going to www.ncchooselife.org; and 3) attend a rally in support of this plate that will be held in Raleigh at 11 a.m. May 25 in front of the Legislature Building at 16 W. Jones St. Monsignor Michael Clay of the Diocese of Raleigh is the registered lobbyist for Catholic Voice North Carolina, the non-partisan voice of the state’s two bishops. For more information about the Choose Life license plates and other public policy matters that are effected by church teaching, visit www.

CatholicVoiceNC.org.

May 21, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 15

Desecrated statue brings united support of faithful

Letters to the Editor The pope gets it Dear Editor, I have marveled for months at the patience of Pope Benedict XVI while all his self-appointed apologists tried to explain away the sex scandal by blaming the media, abortion-rights groups, progay marriage groups, the devil, etc.

Finally, thanks be to God, the pope had enough when on May 11 he finally reached his own conclusion. While on his trip to Portugal, Benedict stated that “the greatest persecution of the Church doesn’t come from enemies on the outside but is born from the sins within the Church.” At last, no more finger-pointing!

The pope finally recognized that we didn’t need help from the media and others; we were doing a pretty good job destroying the Church by ourselves.

Thank God that the pope has the courage to see the truth.

Kenneth Schammel Cornelius, N.C.

Freedom of expression should extend to health care debate Dear Editor, During the recent debate over health care legislation, there was a difference of opinion expressed from

within the Church. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opposed the bill while some women religious and the Catholic Health Association supported it. Fair enough, people have different viewpoints.

In its April 23 edition, The Catholic News & Herald published a news item about two U.S. bishops’ actions against some of these groups because they disapproved of those groups’ support of the legislation. Bishop Lawrence Brandt of Greensburg, Pa., directed suspension of promoting vocation awareness programs of any religious community signatory to a letter urging members of the House of Representatives to pass the health care bill. Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I., asked the CHA to remove diocesan-sponsored St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island from its member rolls.

In its April 30 edition, The Catholic News & Herald published a news item about an April 24 speech by Pope Benedict XVI in which he expressed the Church’s respect for everyone’s right to expression as long as the Church’s own right to expression is also respected. He said the Church asks to have the freedom to be able to promote its message without imposing it on anyone.

It seems to me that the pope is welcoming freedom of expression.

Why can’t these groups express their views without retribution?

M.B. Driscoll Leicester, N.C.

The Catholic News & Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be in good taste.

Write a Letter to the Editor

To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and daytime phone number of the writer for purpose of verification. Letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clarity, style and factual accuracy.

The Catholic News & Herald does not publish poetry, form letters or petitions. Items submitted to The Catholic News & Herald become the property of the newspaper and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

Send letters to Letters to the Editor, The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, N.C. 28237, or e-mail catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org.

During difficult times, it is a great consolation to know that the strong support of love exists to provide strengthening and healing. A simple word or gesture is able to speak volumes of the life-giving help that people so desperately need to face trying situations.

In our understanding and theology, the Church hears and feels that power and love resonating from the soothing words of Jesus to Peter during the apostle’s difficult times, “Simon (Peter) I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32) I write as a young Catholic priest, only three years ordained, who has been greatly impacted by the strong faith of those in our local Charlotte community who have “turned” to strengthen the Catholic community of St. Matthew.

On April 24 the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Peace, was desecrated on our church campus.

People of St. Matthew were saddened, angry, frustrated and fearful. They were appalled that someone could be so lost that they would manifest that hurt against such a sacred and peaceful symbol. As a young priest, I did not claim to have the answers for these feelings and sentiments but could only “turn” towards the gift of faith that comes from God. But it was in our most difficult time, in our trying to provide strength and healing, that the faith community of Charlotte spoke the words of comfort that we needed to hear and experience. The Christian communities and churches, the Jewish federation and synagogues, the leaders and disciples of the one God of love sent us letters and gave us phone calls and reminded us that no matter what creed we profess, we are all in this together.

It seemed to me in that moment that Jesus was speaking not just to me as a priest or even just to the Church, but God was speaking to all of us and through these incredible communities of faith in Charlotte. God is speaking to the people of Judaism. He is speaking to the people of Islam. He is speaking to the Christian churches. God seemed to be speaking through all of these children of His and He was saying, “You must strengthen your brothers and sisters!”

It is with profound gratitude and great humility that I say “thank you” on behalf of the parish of St. Matthew to all of the people of faith who have reached out to us and have truly strengthened us in our difficult time.

On Oct. 28, 1965, Pope Paul VI decreed in the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, “In our time, when day by day mankind is being drawn closer together, and the ties between different peoples are becoming stronger, the Church examines more closely her relationship to non-Christian religions.

In her task of promoting unity and love among men, indeed among nations, she considers above all in this declaration what men have in common and what draws them to fellowship. One is the community of all peoples, one their

Guest Column Father Patrick Toole St. Matthew Church

photo by SueAnn

Howell

origin, for God made the whole human race to live over the face of the earth.

One also is their final goal, God. His providence, His manifestations of goodness, His saving design extend to all men, until that time when the elect will be united in the Holy City, the city ablaze with the glory of God, where the nations will walk in His light.”

God is able to bring good out of every evil and it is evident that even though our statue was desecrated, the edifices of our spirits were renewed by the outpouring of fellowship from the people of God in Charlotte. Because of the kind words and gestures of the people of Judaism, the people of Islam and the people of the Christian churches, we can “turn back” towards believing that God is with all of us.

All of us as people of faith are the elect because we are all His children. We can all strengthen one another and know of His love for us. We can extend this love to one another, no matter what we believe, for the one God of love is with us.

Thank you to God’s people in Charlotte and for the strengthening love and support you have given to us. May we all have fellowship together and work to bring peace to those who need it the most. May our fellowship speak volumes to those in darkness, to those who feel lost or hurt, and may our city – from the young priests trying to figure it out to the elders among us – continue to walk in the light of the God who loves us all.

For your simple yet profound gestures of faith and love, a simple word of “thank you.” Thank you for showing us once again the promise that we as a city can be filled with the glory of God and that all the nations, with the strength of His love, even during difficult times, will walk in the light.

Father Patrick Toole is the parochial vicar of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, N.C.

May 21, 2010

The Catholic News & Herald 16

from the cover

Pope calls for new style of evangelization on his trip to Portugal PORTUGAL, from page 1

back” is not his strategic goal.

In Porto, the pope said that to reach out more effectively, the Church’s idea of evangelizing must change. In today’s multicultural societies, he said, the Church needs to be able to mix dialogue with proclamation of the faith.

He seemed to prepare the way for an announcement, expected in coming weeks, of the creation of a “Pontifical Council for New Evangelization” aimed precisely at promoting broader missionary outreach in traditionally Christian countries.

The pope also pointed out this “new evangelization” did not mean trying to reinstall Catholicism as the state religion.

Arriving in Lisbon May 11, he told civil authorities the Church was happy to live in a pluralistic society.

Addressing an overflow crowd at Mass in one of Lisbon’s main squares, he encouraged Catholics to be “radiant witnesses” of their faith in their families, culture, the economy and politics.

“Bear witness to all of the joy that His strong yet gentle presence evokes, starting with your contemporaries. Tell them that it is beautiful to be a friend of Jesus and that it is well worth following Him,” he said.

In Fatima, the pope’s attention focused on Mary. He connected Mary’s apparitions with the evangelizing task and said Mary remains the model Christian for the modern Church.

Leading a nighttime rosary recital

May 12 for tens of thousands of pilgrims, he said the faith in many places seems like a light in danger of being “snuffed out forever.” The Church’s absolute priority today, he said, is “to make God visible in the world and to open for humanity a way to God.” Don’t be ashamed, he told Portuguese Catholics, to show the signs of your faith.

In a talk the next day to Catholics who work in social programs, the pope took aim at two issues that have illustrated the waning influence of the Church in Portugal: the liberalization of legal abortion in 2007 and the May 17 approval of a gay marriage law. He called both “insidious and dangerous threats to the common good.”

But he also challenged his listeners, saying it was important for Church workers to resist materialistic and relativistic values, which drain faith and Christian hope from their efforts.

The pope also addressed Portugal’s bishops, denouncing what he called a “silence of the faith” in the face of widespread attacks on religious values.

When politicians and the media have scorned religion, Catholics who are ashamed of their faith have given a “helping hand” to secularism by failing to speak up, he said.

The bishops, he said, must respect pluralism and engage in dialogue, but without being “gagged” when it comes to defending the Church’s moral teachings.

The other big dimension of the pope’s visit was his interpretation of the message of Fatima. He said the suffering of the Church prophesied by the Fatima visions could even include the priestly

OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAPAL VISIT n Pope takes aim at abortion, same-sex marriage

n Pope: Some in Church give ‘helping hand’ to secularism

On his third day in Portugal, Pope Benedict XVI took aim at two issues that have deeply disturbed Church leaders in the predominantly Catholic country: abortion and gay marriage.

In a strongly-worded talk to Portuguese bishops, Pope Benedict XVI denounced what he called a “silence of the faith” in the face of widespread attacks on religious values. Particularly in politics and in the mass media, some Christians have quietly consented as new barriers to the faith are constructed, he said.

The pope said abortion and efforts to promote same-sex marriage were “insidious and dangerous threats to the common good,” and he encouraged pastoral workers in Portugal to keep up their efforts to protect the unborn and the traditional family.

Abortion was liberalized in Portugal in 2007. Legislation allowing gay marriage became law Monday. The pope did not call for a repeal of the abortion law; instead, he encouraged the Church’s pastoral force to try to prevent situations that result in abortions and to promote spiritual healing for those who have had them.

“I express my deep appreciation for all those social and pastoral initiatives aimed at combating the socioeconomic and cultural mechanisms that lead to abortion and are openly concerned to defend life and to promote the reconciliation and healing of those harmed by the tragedy of abortion,” he said.

“Authentic witnesses to Jesus Christ are needed, above all in those human situations where the silence of the faith is most widely and deeply felt: among politicians, intellectuals, communications professionals who profess and who promote a monocultural ideal, with disdain for the religious and contemplative dimension of life,” he said. “In such circles are found some believers who are ashamed of their beliefs and who even give a helping hand to this type of secularism.”

He said changes in contemporary society require a “new missionary vigor” by mature lay Christians, and bishops themselves should show that they will not be “gagged” when it comes to announcing the Church’s moral teachings.

— source: Catholic News Service

sex abuse scandal – an example, he said, of a “terrifying” attack on the Church from the sins of its own members.

The pope paid homage to Mary, praying before her statue and at the tombs of the three shepherd children to whom she appeared in 1917. Celebrating Mass for an estimated 500,000 people in Fatima May 13, the anniversary of the first apparition, the pope emphasized that the prophetic mission of Fatima still has special relevance for a world still caught in a “cycle of death and terror.”

The pope has described the Fatima apparitions as “interior visions” that are real but are not perceived through the normal human senses.

He said he sees the messages of Fatima not as apocalyptic predictions, but as a continual call for conversion for a suffering Church and a suffering world.

Fatima’s message and mission are not over, the pope said, because the need for penance continues.

“The Lord told us that the Church will always be suffering in various ways, up to the end of the world. The important point is that the message, the answer of Fatima, is not substantially addressed to particular devotions, but is the fundamental response: permanent conversion, penance, prayer and the three cardinal virtues: faith, hope and charity.”

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CROATIA

with a visit to Medjugorje

October 18-28, 2010

Bring family and friends to join with the Diocese of Charlotte as we experience Croatia – lying just across the Adriatic Sea from Italy! We’ll see breathtaking natural beauty, significant places of European history and 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites! Plus, a visit to Medjugorje -- making this trip a definite favorite for all!

Highlights of these 11 days include: • Zagreb, the capital city with rich cultural and governmental history, and Roman settlements from the 1st century • beautiful, old-world Bled, Slovenia – a “pletna boat” will glide us across glacial Lake Bled with the majestic, snow-tipped Julian Alps as the backdrop • a tour of the world-famous Lipizzaner horse farm where we’ll witness an actual training session of these magnificent Slovenian treasures!

• charming seaside Opatija, nestled in beautiful woods with elegant villas and a seaside promenade to bring the Adriatic right up to your feet!

• the spectacular, breathtaking phenomenon of Plitvice Lakes national park – 16 terraced lakes connected by magnificent waterfalls and free-flowing cascades. A lake cruise reveals the underwater life thriving in this natural wonderland!

• the ancient seaside city of Split (once the most important Mediterranean port in then-Yugoslavia) where we’ll explore the Old City, the markets, Diocletian’s Roman Palace and much more of its charm and fascinating history • Medjugorje, the small village where we’ll have personal time for prayer, reflection and Mass at beautiful St. James Church • exciting Dubrovnik offers us its fascinating Old City, world-famous Franciscan Monastery, exceptional architecture, seaside promenade and more!

• unforgettable home visit and culinary feast with a Croatian countryside family sharing their culture and customs to enrich our total experience!

Unparalleled beauty, fascinating history and more await you on this trip!

Check out these highlights on the Internet and you’ll see why Croatia is becoming a must-see destination, still unspoiled by “too many tourists.”

Price per person (double occupancy) is only $3,379 and includes: roundtrip airfare from Charlotte; all hotels and transfers; most meals; fulltime professional Tour Manager; local guides. Not included are cancellation waiver/insurance ($200 per person) and air taxes/surcharges ($150).

For a brochure or questions, call Cindi Feerick at the diocese (704) 370-3332 or e-mail ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org.